Steve Wruble walked into a Starbucks in New York City and saw a dog sitting in a backpack on a stranger’s shoulders. The dog looked at him. He petted her head. She licked his face.
He adopted her before the morning was over.
Who Was in the Backpack
The dog was Missy. The man carrying her was Bryan Reisberg, known online as The Backpack Man.
Bryan had taken Missy out of a New York shelter on September 15. His method is simple: put a shelter dog in a backpack, walk through the city’s busiest neighborhoods, and let people meet the dog the way they never could inside a kennel.
How Bryan Started Doing This
Bryan already carried his own dog, Maxine, around New York in a backpack. He noticed what happened when people saw a dog riding through a coffee shop or a subway car: they stopped, they smiled, they asked questions.
He partnered with Best Friends Animal Society to identify at-risk shelter dogs who could handle a city outing. The first time he tried it with a shelter dog, the dog was adopted. Then the next one. Then the next.
Why It Works
As the Washington Post reported on Missy’s adoption, shelters are loud, unpredictable, and overwhelming. Dogs who are perfectly loving at home can look anxious or shut down in a kennel. Potential adopters meet the stressed version, not the real one.
A backpack walk changes that. The dog is out in the world, getting attention, being touched by strangers, showing who they actually are.
The same thing happened with Blue, a Texas shelter dog who was returned twice before someone saw a video of him and drove 22 hours to adopt him. Visibility changes everything.
Steve Wruble did not walk into Starbucks looking for a dog. Missy found him.
Have you ever met a dog unexpectedly and ended up taking them home? Tell me in the comments.
Bryan’s Record
Of all the shelter dogs Bryan has carried through New York City, only one was not adopted, and that was due to long-term health issues, not lack of interest.
He is now exploring supplying Little Chonk backpacks to shelter volunteers in other cities so they can replicate the model. One backpack, one walk, one dog at a time.
Why This Matters
Most people who could adopt a dog never walk through a shelter door. Bryan doesn’t wait for them to show up.
According to the ASPCA’s 2025 shelter statistics, 5.8 million dogs and cats entered U.S. shelters and rescues last year. The dogs that get seen get adopted. The ones sitting in kennels often don’t.
Loretta, a Phoenix dog rescued from neglect, spent nearly a year in a shelter before the right family found her. Hillsborough County’s Pet Resource Center recently hit 177% capacity with 320 dogs a reminder of how many dogs are waiting to simply be seen.
Bringing the dog to the people instead of waiting for the people to come to the dog is not a complicated idea. It just takes someone willing to carry a backpack.
Key Takeaways
- Missy was taken from a New York shelter on September 15 by Bryan Reisberg, The Backpack Man.
- Steve Wruble met her at a Starbucks and adopted her almost immediately.
- Bryan partners with Best Friends Animal Society to select at-risk dogs for city outings.
- Nearly every dog he has carried has been adopted.
- He is exploring expanding the backpack model to volunteers in other cities.
She Was in the Right Backpack at the Right Time
Some adoptions take months of applications and waiting. Missy’s took a morning and a cup of coffee.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Details are based on public reports and may change.